Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Boy imagines wild things at school in fun sick-day story.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Herbie gets A DAY OFF SCHOOL after he wakes up with the sniffles. At first he thinks his day will be great, getting to do whatever he wants—watch cartoons, play video games, eat breakfast in a couch fort—but by lunchtime he starts to imagine what he might be missing at school. What if someone brought a birthday cake? What if they got extra playtime? Then he starts thinking of wilder scenarios. "What if PIRATES INVADED? What if a MONSTER came up through the DRAIN ... and took the TEACHERS? What if ALIENS landed? And gave everyone FREE RIDES on their SPACESHIP?" The next day he goes back to school and it's really boring... or is it?
Is It Any Good?
This welcome variation on a back-to-school book spotlights a kid's vivid imagination and his reflects his underlying appreciation of school. A Day Off School shows how having a big helping of time to yourself is cool up to a point—when fear of missing out on something exciting at school creeps into your mind. It's all done with emotions that ring true, loads of humor, a sweet family at its core, and Kevin Waldron's vibrant mixed-media illustrations, which give life to Herbie's wild imaginings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Herbie spends his time in A Day Off School. What would you do if you had a whole day to yourself at home?
Do you ever have a fear of missing out? Can you think of a time you stayed home from school and missed something really out of the ordinary?
Herbie is curious about what exciting things might be happening at school while he's stuck at home. Why is curiosity a character strength?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Kevin Waldron
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Monsters ) , School ( Elementary School ) , Space
- Character Strengths : Curiosity
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Philomel
- Publication date : July 7, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 8
- Number of pages : 40
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : July 13, 2026
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